This invention relates to an approach for denaturing harmful biochemical agents and for decontaminating objects that are contaminated with the harmful biochemical agents.
Biochemical agents, including both microbiological agents and chemical agents, are widely distributed in our environment. Many biochemical agents, such as most microbiological agents and benign chemicals, are of little concern, because they do not damage other higher life forms such as human beings. However, other biochemical agents may infect or injure man or animals and cause them harm.
The removing or rendering ineffective of injurious microbiological agents has long been of interest. Drugs and medical devices are sterilized and packaged in sterile containers. Medical environments such as operating rooms, wards, and examination rooms are decontaminated by various cleaning procedures so that injurious microbiological agents cannot spread from one patient to another. Wounds are sterilized to prevent infection.
Most prior situations requiring decontamination of injurious biochemical agents have been relatively well controlled, where all parties wished to achieve the decontamination and cooperated in the decontamination effort. More recently, biochemical warfare and biochemical terrorism have become of increasing concern. In these circumstances, an injurious biochemical agent may be intentionally released into a population, with the intent to disseminate the biochemical agent as widely as possible and to cause as much harm as possible in the population. The biochemical agent is typically selected so that tiny amounts of the biochemical agent achieve the maximum contamination, the biochemical agent may be disseminated widely, the biochemical agent may exist for extended periods of time in a dormant state before becoming active to cause injury, and the biochemical agent is difficult to control and eradicate.
The available technologies for controlling biochemical agents, developed for relatively small-scale use in well-controlled environments and where there is not an overt attempt to spread the biochemical agents, are of limited value in these public health circumstances of biochemical warfare and biochemical terrorism. A new approach is needed that is more readily usable in a variety of less-well-controlled environments. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.